Apparatus for casting curved stereotype plates with tension lockup pockets therein



June 27, 1950 L RICARDS ETAL TING CURVED STEREOTYPE PLATES WITH TENSIGN LOCK-UP POCKETS THEREIN Original Filed Dec. 27, 1945 C. APPARATUS FOR CAS 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVFNTOR 5 (H1931 E5 1. /?/C 9RD5and JOHN A. JJBELL B ATTORN EYS c. RICARDS ET AL 2,513,203 APPARATUS FOR CASTING CURVED STEREOTYPE PLATES WITH TENSION LOCK-UP POCKETS THEREIN Original Filed Dec. 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 27, 1950 ATTORNEYS Patented June 27, 1950 APPARATUS. FOR CASEllIl-QG EOTYPE PLATES wlrmalt POCKEIS THEREIN Charles L.--.Ricards, -.South Plainfield, and John- A.

Isbell, Ilainfield, N. 3.,4assignors to -Wod- Newspaper Machinery; Corporation; :Plainfield,

N..J., a corporation of Mirg-inia Original application December 27, 1-945, Serial No. 637,336. Divided and this applicationNoyember17,1948., .Serial No.-'=60,494

This invention relates to apparatus for casting stereotype plates and more particularlyto :a machine for casting a stereotype plate havingpockets on its inner facefor the reception .of tension clamps. y

In the use of stereotype plates with modern high speed presses, where centrifugal force must be taken into account, the use of the conventional end clamp lock-up mechanisms to secure the ,plateto the printing cylinder hasnotproved satisfactory and it has been proposed ito provide specially designed plate clamping fingers which are incorporated in the printing cylinders and which securely hold the stereotype plates in position on the cylinders under circumferential tension rather than under compression. The

use of this tension lock-up mechanismhas ;pre-

sented new problems in the manufacture of stereotype plates. If the plates are manufactured as heretofore, it is necessary to form pockets on their inner surfaces by a milling operation, or in some other suitable manner, thus necessitating a separate operation or requiring the milling operation to be performed in conjunction with some subsequent finishing step as, for instance, the shaving of the plate.

In accordance with the present invention, we provide suitable apparatus consisting of the usual casting box and plate core or cylinder in which the core is provided with a number of retractable pocket forming cores equal to the number of pockets desired in the stereotype plate, together with suitable means for projecting the cores when the plate core is moved into casting position and permitting the cores to be retracted when the plate core is moved from the casting box to permit the plate to be stripped from the cylinder.

This application is a division of our copending application Serial No. 637,336, filed December 27, 1945, entitled Apparatus for Casting Curved stereotype Plates with Tension Lock-Up Pockets Therein.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a horizontal sectional view of plate casting apparatus embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

'1 claim. (.01. 22-2). 1

Fig.3 is ,a side elevation of the apparatus :shownin Figs. 31 and 2.

-' The.inventionisshown.applied to a stereotype -plate casting machine .of the type having a cast- :ing box 4.38 which .issu-bstantialIy semi-cylindri- -:ca1 .i-nhorizontal section .as shown in Fig. 1, and

this casting box cooperates with a semi-cylindrical cone-M0. The corewhen in closed position, is arranged to be slightlywspaced from the casting box .to provide a mold cavity I42 between these parts, andwhen the cast plate is to be rez-moyed, the; core is moved laterally out of the casting box and tilted to a substantially horizontal position in a manner known in the art.

The casting box is supported by side frames IM and the coreis imovablysupportedby rollers I46 onjtracks fMfi carried by-the .side' frames. The

, rollers 446 .are journalled on studs carried by brackets l5ll'mounted on the core.

The lower ends of these brackets are pivotally connected to links I52 and the opposite ends of the links are pivotally mounted on studs I44 carried by the frame I56 of the machine. This method of supporting the core to permit it to assume either the vertical position shown in Fig. 3 for casting or to assume a substantially horizontal position to permit ejecting of the cast plate is well-known in the art.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings we have also illustrated the conventional slidable locking bars 204 by means of which the core is securely locked to the casting box I38 when the parts are in position for casting. A matrix 206 is also illustrated and is engaged between the locking bars 204 and the packing strips 208. The matrix moves out of the casting box I38 with the cast plate and is stripped therefrom by hand. The locking bars are moved laterally by means of a hand lever 2H1 which is pivoted to a stud 2 carried by one of the locking bars and simultaneous movement of the other locking bars is provided by toggle links H2 and a vertical sliding bar 2". These parts are of conventional construction.

Movement of the vertical sliding bar 2M is utilized to actuate the pocket core members. The pocket core members 2H5 are mounted in suitable channels in the core and the inner ends of the core members are provided with racks 2 l 8. These racks engage gear segments 22B mounted on shafts 222 and 224 at the opposite sides of the We claim:

In apparatus for casting curved stereotype plates of the type including a concave substantially semi-cylindrical casting box and a convex cylindrically surfaced core adapted to form an arcuate mold cavity therebetween, a linkage supporting said core for lateral movement relative to said casting box to permit removal of a cast plate When the core I4!) is moved to the vertical position adjacent the casting box for a. casting operation and the lever 210 is moved upwardly from the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 of the the casting box, movement of sliding bar 214 oscillates the shaft 230 which through bevel'gears 226 and 228 oscillates shafts 222 and 224. Gear segments 220 carried by theseshafts engage racks from the mold cavity, locking bars carried by the core and movable radially thereof between unlocking and locking positions to release the core from and secure it to the casting box and a bar 3 slidable axially of said core and connected to drawings for the purpose'of locking the core to v 2E8 on the core members 2I6 to move the coremembers outwardly and thus insert them in the mold cavity to form pockets of the desired size and shape when the stereotype plate is cast.

After the plate has been cast and cooled, the lever 2lu is moved downward to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2 to retract the locking bars 204 and so release the core from the casting box. Movement of the bar 2 turns the shaft 230 and, through the bevel gears 226 and 228,

thus turns the shafts 222 and 224. The gear segments 22!) carried by these shafts move the core members 2| 6 inward and thus retract them from the pockets in the cast plate so as to permit removal of the plate from the core.

, The molten type metal is poured into the cavity formed between the casting box and the core while the pocket core members protrude from the core surface. Thereaften-the cast plate is cooled, the plate is removed from; the casting box with the core and is stripped from the core, the pocket core members being retracted to permit the stripping of the plate;

move said locking bars, the improvement which comprises at least two elongated pocket core members respectively slidably carried by said core adjacent opposite sides of said mold cavity and movable lengthwise from retracted positions beneath the cylinder of said core to extended positions in'which their ends protrude outwardly into the mold cavity, shafts extending axially of said core, gears on said shafts, racks on said pocket core members engaging said gears, a transverse stub shaft geared to said axially extending shafts anda lever on said stub shaft engaging said axially slidable bar whereby movement of said bar slides said pocket core members lengthwise between their retracted and extended positions.

' CHARLES L. RICARDS.

JOHN A. ISBELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

